What service items related to import customs clearance are covered in the import agency customs declaration fee?
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I am the person in charge of a small and medium-sized enterprise that has just engaged in import trade. Over the past six months, we have completed three batches of self-operated imports. Every time we cooperate with different agencies for customs declaration, the charges are totally different.
Some quote a very low customs declaration fee, but collect various additional fees afterwards. Some quote a high price, claiming that all services are included. I have never figured out what exactly the import agency customs declaration fee we paid is used for, and whether I have wasted money unnecessarily.
There is no proper recourse when we encounter hidden charges. Last time, the agency stated that the inspection fee was not included in the customs declaration fee, and added more than 2000 RMB temporarily, which directly cut one third of the profit of this batch of goods. I want to confirm exactly what specific work is included in the import agency customs declaration fee, which services should be covered, and which are extra charge items.
JohnYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Export Tax Rebate AdvisorStart a Chat
The import agency customs declaration fee corresponds to professional customs declaration services covering the whole import customs clearance process，which starts from the pre-arrival procedures of goods. First is preliminary document pre-review，the agency will check the consistency of the full set of documents including customs declaration form information，trade contract，certificate of origin，bill of lading，packing list and so on in advance，correct incorrectly filled or missing content，verify the compliance of HS code classification，to avoid customs clearance obstruction and delivery delay caused by document or classification problems.
Second is the connection of core customs clearance nodes，including pre-entry of customs declaration forms，official submission to the customs system，coordination of tax withholding and payment，real-time follow-up of review feedback from the customs system，tracking the whole customs clearance progress，and synchronizing the latest status to the cargo owner immediately，so the cargo owner does not need to contact the customs or queue up for procedures on their own.
Then comes basic exception pre-plan handling，including basic exception treatment such as ordinary document correction，professional response to customs clearance queries，conventional information supplementary entry，to solve problems quickly and promote customs clearance smoothly.
Finally，the agency completes procedure handover after customs release，organizes complete customs clearance receipts for the cargo owner，archives the full set of customs declaration documents for subsequent verification，to finish the whole compliance implementation process. Normally in the industry，the customs declaration fee does not include on-site labor costs related to inspection，government regulatory fees，as well as reimbursable expenses such as import taxes and port sundry fees. Clarifying the boundary in advance can avoid hidden charges，and confirming a clear quotation scope in advance is the core measure to avoid extra expenses.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
The core work included in the import agency customs declaration fee covers tariff classification and pre-verification of price appraisal, both of which are key pre-procedures to avoid subsequent customs price appraisal objections and classification disputes. Many low-priced customs declaration fees do not include these two services, they only simply enter customs declaration information, which easily leads to wrong HS code classification, triggers customs audit, or causes customs hold due to failed price appraisal, and generates high port detention fees.
Formal import agency customs declaration fees include classification verification and pre-arrangement of price appraisal documents, the agency prepares supporting materials in advance for possible queries from customs, to ensure the price appraisal process is passed at one attempt. If there is a conventional classification dispute, the agency will also assist to negotiate with customs and prepare relevant explanatory documents to promote the customs clearance process normally, without collecting extra fees for basic negotiation services.
WilliamYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics AdvisorStart a Chat
The import agency customs declaration fee covers the connection node between logistics and customs clearance, which completes the connection of document exchange, customs clearance and release procedures, reducing the communication cost of cargo owners between logistics and customs declaration. The customs declaration team will contact the shipping company or airline in advance for document exchange, confirm the arrival information of goods, check the consistency of manifest information and customs declaration information, to avoid customs clearance stagnation caused by inconsistent manifest information.
If the goods need transit customs declaration or transit distribution after customs release, the customs declaration team will also contact the logistics team synchronously to complete the handover of release procedures, ensuring the goods can be arranged for delivery and departure in time, and avoiding extra container detention fees and storage fees caused by untimely procedure handover. Formal all-inclusive customs declaration services cover document exchange service fees, while some low-priced customs declaration agencies list document exchange fees as extra charge items, which needs to be confirmed in advance.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
The services corresponding to the import agency customs declaration fee include accounting and payment of import taxes. A professional agency will calculate the amount of import tariff, value-added tax and consumption tax in advance, check the accuracy of the dutiable value calculation, confirm applicable preferential tariff policies such as the application of agreed tariff rates, help the cargo owner confirm available benefits in advance, and avoid overpaying taxes.
If the VAT deferral policy is applicable, the agency will complete compliant declaration in advance, sort out corresponding retained documents to meet the requirements of tax supervision. Many irregular agencies will not actively check tax calculation, nor remind the cargo owner of applicable preferential policies, leading to unnecessary extra tax costs for the cargo owner, and these services are all included in the formal customs declaration fee.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
The import agency customs declaration fee includes verification services for settlement of import payments and receipts. The agency will check the consistency of goods information and amount on the customs declaration form with the information of payment and receipt, to ensure the import payment and receipt process meets the requirements of foreign exchange supervision, and avoids settlement obstruction caused by inconsistent information between customs declaration documents and payment/receipt records.
For imported goods paid in cross-border RMB, the agency will also check whether the customs declaration information matches the message requirements of CIPS payment, sort out corresponding documents, to ensure the compliance of the payment and receipt process. If inconsistent information is found, the agency will adjust and correct the customs declaration information in time, to avoid compliance risks that affect subsequent import business.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
It should be made clear that conventional import agency customs declaration fees do not include relevant service fees for on-site customs inspection, and only some all-inclusive quotations cover basic on-site accompanying service fees. Ordinary customs declaration fees only include notifying inspection requirements in advance, assisting to prepare inspection related documents, informing the cargo owner of the inspection arrangement, and helping the cargo owner complete inspection preparation in advance.
If the agency is required to arrange staff to accompany the inspection on site, coordinate the processes including container unpacking and sample submission, most agencies will list this part of service as extra charges, because inspection happens randomly and is not required for every shipment, so it is not included in the basic customs declaration fee. Confirming in advance can avoid temporary price increase problems.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
Formal import agency customs declaration services will retain the full set of customs declaration documents for at least three years, the corresponding fees cover document storage and access services. If customs audit or trade dispute occurs later and the archived customs declaration documents of corresponding year need to be accessed, the agency will assist to provide complete archived materials, without collecting extra storage fees.
Meanwhile, the agency will check the consistency between customs declaration information and trade contract terms, to avoid negotiation obstruction caused by inconsistent customs declaration information and letter of credit clauses, ensure the trade process conforms to the contract agreement, and avoid trade dispute risks caused by wrong customs declaration information. These services are also included in the import agency customs declaration fee.